At MWC 2023, we had been excited to see Honor launching the Magic Vs, its first foldable that will likely be out there globally after its introduction in China in late November.
The Honor Magic Vs is the primary severe different to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 because it delivers a barely thinner and lighter kind issue with an identical construct high quality and system {hardware}. The shows and cameras are additionally on par, whereas the battery is bigger and comes with a 66W quick charger within the field.
The Honor Magic Vs will likely be out there with 12GB+512GB in Black and Cyan for €1599 in Europe. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 was priced at €1799 at launch.
There are not any plans for a U.S. launch the place the Z Fold4 was launched at $1799, which is simply $99 lower than the transformed $1700 worth (from €1599).
The Magic Vs is just not waterproof, one other draw back in comparison with the Z Fold4 which options an IPx8 ranking.
Design
The construct high quality is great, with a chic shiny end on the again cowl.
Through the keynote occasion at MWC, Honor CEO George Zhao was proud to disclose that, in contrast to the Z Fold4, the brand new Magic Vs is gapless as soon as folded, and at 12.9mm, is slimmer than its nemesis (15.8mm). At 261g, the Vs can also be a hair lighter than the 263g Galaxy Z Fold4.
The again cowl options curves on each lengthy edges, which convey a smoother really feel to the system when in comparison with its competitor, the flat Z Fold4.
“SMOOTHER FEEL TO THE DEVICE WHEN COMPARED TO ITS COMPETITOR”
The hinge was an vital a part of George Zhao’s presentation as it’s fabricated from an aerospace-grade polymeric materials, and has considerably fewer parts than its predecessor. Their quantity was diminished from 94 to 4 to make room for a bigger 5000 mAh battery.
Honor claims that the brand new hinge can face up to as much as 400,000 folds, double of the 200,000 folds ranking of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4.
Folding Expertise
The foldable design incorporates a completely different expertise vs. basic telephones, nonetheless, Honor, following within the footsteps of Samsung, along with the giant 7.9” inside display, gives a high-end 6.45” outer show that fully covers the entrance of the system when it’s folded.
When folded at about 120 levels and positioned vertically on a desk, you do not want a stand to devour content material or learn emails on one facet whereas watching a video or consulting one other app on the opposite facet. It may be extraordinarily handy and is basically a pure tripod.
Not like the Galaxy Z Fold4, the 90-degree folded place works provided that you place the quilt with the digital camera module on the desk, in any other case, it flips again open, in all probability a trade-off of the lighter and extra sturdy hinge.
Show(s)
Each shows function wonderful picture high quality, responsiveness and luxury, and convey a superior visible expertise for consuming content material generally.
The 7.9” OLED incorporates a 2272 x 1984 pixels decision in a ten.3:9 side ratio (382ppi pixel density). The 90Hz refresh price is beneath the 120Hz functionality of the Galaxy Z Fold4, the Combine Fold 2 or the Oppo Discover N2.
“AMAZING IMAGE QUALITY”
In all probability to reinforce the common cellphone expertise over the “pill mode”, Honor determined to offer the next 120 Hz refresh price and pixel density (431PPI vs. 381) to the 6.45” 2560 x 1080 pixels outer display.
The 1200 NITs peak brightness on the paper is just like the theoretical peak brightness of the Z Fold4, we nonetheless must measure the brightness to verify the declare.
The crease is as seen as within the foldable telephones we have now performed with, such because the Galaxy Z Fold4 and the Z Flip4. I barely discover it, for the reason that show high quality is superb.
Sound High quality
The audio high quality is superb, and the stereo twin audio system ship a strong and clear sound at most quantity. Nonetheless, when in comparison with the Galaxy S22 Extremely whose sound is nearly as glorious because the Galaxy S23 Extremely and the Apple Professional Max, I observed that the Magic Vs barely lacks bass.
Honor Magic Vs Digicam
The Honor Magic Vs brings the digital camera efficiency shut the one discovered within the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23, and barely increased than the one of many Z Fold4.
On the again, there’s a triple-camera module:
- Main Digicam (Large)
- 27mm 54MP IMX800 Most important Digicam (f/1.9)
- Video: As much as 2160×3840 pixels
- Photograph: As much as 6144×8768 pixels
- Ultrawide & Macro digital camera
- Telephoto digital camera
- 94mm 8MP f/2.4 3X optical zoom + OIS
Within the inside show, there’s a selfie digital camera:
Our algorithmic CAMERA HW rating ranks the Honor Magic Vs (rating=161) barely above the Galaxy Z Fold4 (rating=155) and nearer to the Galaxy S23+ and S23 (rating=166), a superb rating as impartial reviewers acknowledge the S23+/S23 as a superb shooter within the premium section.
The first vast digital camera is provided with a big 54MP IMX800 sensor that’s akin to the one discovered within the Galaxy Z Fold4, in keeping with our algorithm.
Each the ultrawide and telephoto lenses are a bit of higher than those within the Z Fold4. The Magic Vs optical “3X” zoom is best as a result of it incorporates a longer focal lens 94mm than the 62 mm of the Z Fold4.
Each telephones function a high-resolution sensor for the first shooter. Nonetheless, in contrast to the Samsung system, the high-res picture seize is unavailable in auto mode. With the Magic Vs, you have to drill down two sub-menus to seek out it (digital camera mode menu>extra>excessive res).
System Efficiency
As a result of it’s geared up with the identical Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 because the Samsung Z Fold4, the efficiency could be very a lot comparable. Our assessments present the Z Fol4 has a small benefit within the Geekbench 5 CPU benchmark, however it’s one thing that customers would in all probability not discover a lot in the true world. We definitely didn’t.
From a graphics/gaming standpoint, the efficiency we measured is sort of equivalent, which isn’t shocking. In any case, the conclusion is that the Honor Magic Vs performs precisely like what we’d anticipate from a big high-end, Foldable android smartphone.
Battery Life
Due to the brand new hinge, the Magic Vs incorporates a 5000 mAh battery, the most important on the foldable market. Non-foldable flagships akin to S23 Extremely or OnePlus 11 have the identical capability. 5000 mAh is commonly thought-about to be the utmost sensible capability, however it’s significantly difficult for a foldable design.
Moreover, when you might want to replenish the battery, this smartphone can cost as much as 66W of energy, which is quicker than any of the opponents we’ve seen till now. For heavy vacationers, it is a vital benefit as you may cost 66% sooner earlier than boarding a flight or heading to your subsequent vacation spot.
Conclusion
The Honor Magic Vs is a formidable piece of know-how on the similar degree of system efficiency, design excellence, show high quality, and digital camera efficiency because the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, its nemesis.
“AN IMPRESSIVE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY”
The slight distinction in our ranking is justified by the absence of water resistance which is vital for any system above $1500, and a greater consumer expertise for productiveness and multi-tasking discovered within the Samsung system.
The Honor system definitely feels thinner and extra agreeable to carry within the hand than the Z Fold4, with a greater digital camera, for 200 euros much less.
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